2023-10-19 15:34:00
, at the end of the 5th and final stage of the race. “I have a feeling of satisfaction. Everything went well and the competitors are happy,” he told “Matin”. Castera, who did not fail to thank the Moroccan authorities and local partners, who largely contributed to the success of the 24th edition, appreciated the adventures of the race since the departure from Agadir. The race was lively from start to finish. The best pilots, despite years of experience, were trapped by the multiple obstacles, whether sand dunes, the Chegaga erg, holes in wadis… there were constant changes in the level of the
in all categories. Victory only emerged during the final stage.
Rally of Morocco 2023: Abandonments in spades
Mixed fortunes for competitors Morocco Rally. There are obviously the lucky ones who managed to finish the race and those who had to resolve to give up along the way. This is the case of Jean Daniel Piccini et Stéphane Denechau who were driving a JDV Sports. The two French drivers, victims of a transmission problem, left the race prematurely. “It’s a big disappointment to have to give up following only three stages. We had no choice. We preferred to stop before breaking everything. When the transmission failed, it was over for us. It’s a disappointment, but that’s rallying. It’s part of the sport. We will come back stronger next year,” Denechau said philosophically. There were abandonments in spades. Of the 247 competitors, only 130 arrived safely. The rally also has several injuries due to falls.
Rallye du Maroc 2023: And at the end joy
At the end of several days of competition, it is joy and good humor that finally prevail at the bivouac set up at the foot of the dunes of Merzouga, at the end of the final stage. The Saudi Yazeed Al-Rajhi was visibly over the moon, despite difficult days. “I’m super happy with my race. It was too difficult, the competition is tough. And in the end, I win here in Morocco, a country that I love very much. The organization is perfect. It’s just happiness,” he told us.
For his part, the Senegalese pilot Yves Jacquemain, winner in rally 3, let his joy explode at the finish line. “It’s incredible. For my first rally, to come and win here in a world championship is fantastic. I would like to thank ODC (the rally organizing company), which provided us with training as part of the Africa Rallye Team. It’s quite difficult and requires self-sacrifice. We had to get into it, learn how to take passes, read the tablets and in the end it went well. There are formidable adversaries. I hope that next year, it will be a Moroccan who will win,” he told us, with a smile on his lips. And the icing on the cake, the organizers invited the national football coach, Walid Regraguiat the final stage where he presented the Prizes to the various winners, in the company of the wali of the Draâ-Tafilalet region, governor of the province of Errachidia, Bouchaab Yahdih.
Questions to David Castera, director of the Rallye du Maroc
“The Morocco Rally hosts the 2nd largest race in the world following the Dakar”
What assessment do you draw from this 24th edition?
I would say a fairly positive assessment. We are very happy overall with what happened on this rally, with a very close race. We saw victories emerge until the last minute. It’s already extraordinary. A race that has grown a lot since I arrived in 2018, thanks to local partners, local authorities and all Moroccans. The rally grows every year and takes on a very significant scale. The Morocco Rally hosts the 2nd largest race in the world. There is the Dakar and then there is the Morocco Rally. This makes me happy for Morocco which has invested a lot with me. There are also a lot of Moroccans who come to the rally. This creates emulation.
We saw a lot of abandonments, did you purposely put so many difficulties and obstacles on the course?
There is nothing done that is dangerous. There is difficulty. The rally is a difficult event. Not everyone makes it to the end. But I think we had a very high success rate. There are people who have prepared well. In the end, everything went well. The runners were very happy.
You set up the Africa Race Team, are you satisfied with their performance?
We are happy to see that those who win in rally 3 are drivers from the Africa Race Team (ART). There were 20 of them in June and we selected 5 for motorcycles and 5 for cars. They are there, they ride and they learn. What is important for me is that the Africa Race Team and especially the drivers from North Africa are present on the rally. We brought out talent. There are others who will arrive. We will take care of Moroccans with our partners.
1697743422
#Rallye #Maroc #joy #disappointments #flawless #organization
